


Observant

by eiluned



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Body Language, F/M, Outside Observer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-04
Updated: 2012-03-04
Packaged: 2017-11-01 02:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/350951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eiluned/pseuds/eiluned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony's not particularly observant when it comes to people, but Natasha Romanoff is pretty intriguing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Observant

**Author's Note:**

> [Prompt from thepascale: The first time Tony Stark sees Black Widow and Hawkeye standing together (with their casualness) and remarks.]

Tony Stark isn't a particularly observant person, at least when it comes to people. He's very observant when he's working out the kinks in a design or pinpointing an error in calculations, stuff like that. Those things are quantifiable. He can work them out.

Working out people just takes too much effort. He doesn't want to bother with it, which is probably why he forgets things like Pepper's food allergies or when Rhodey's birthday is. And he knows that's shitty, but people just don't interest him as much as strings of code or engineering problems do.

But he likes watching Natalie Rushman, or Natasha Romanoff, or whatever the hell her name is today. She's so goddamn deadpan all the time, but he occasionally catches a smirk hiding at the corner of her mouth--and what a gorgeous mouth it is--and that's kind of intriguing. She's like a particularly tricky equation, and he's determined to figure her out.

Not in a romantic way, of course. Pepper would kill him. But he's intrigued nonetheless.

"Mr. Stark?"

Speak of the devil. Natalie... Natasha is standing in the doorway in that ridiculous black bodysuit of hers, hands on her hips. "Director Fury is ready to speak to you. If you'll come with me?" she says.

It's ostensibly a question, but the take-no-bullshit expression on her face means it's a statement of fact. He will come with her, whether he wants to or not. Tony hauls himself out of the armchair and follows her down the hallway. Nick Fury is sitting in a chair that kind of reminds Tony of Captain Kirk's chair on the bridge of the Enterprise, except the Enterprise wasn't quite this industrial-chic, and the redshirts are all wearing dark suits and ties instead of, well, red shirts.

Tony's eyes follow Natasha as she goes to stand beside some blond guy who's leaning against the wall like he owns the place. Fury's talking, but it washes over Tony's head in a wave of blah-blah-blah.

'Now this is interesting,' Tony thinks.

The times he's seen her as not-Natalie-Rushman, she's been cold. No nonsense. He's not actually sure if he's seen an emotion cross her face, now that he thinks about it. Natalie is flirty in a noncommittal sort of way, and now that he knows she's a secret agent sent to spy on him, that makes sense to Tony. Natasha, on the other hand, gives him a look that says she'd rather flirt with a rabid wolverine than him whenever he tries sweet talk on her.

She's cool and calculating, and he respects that.

But now she's doing something that catches Tony off guard.

The blond guy's leaned in close to her, muttering something in her ear, and there's the tiniest smile on her lips. She's leaning into him, too, her shoulders turned and one knee cocked so that it's almost touching the guy's leg.

It's... intimate, Tony realizes, the way they're standing together. She looks comfortable, maybe even relaxed, which is definitely something he's never seen in her body language before.

She moves like she's just let out a breath of laughter, and the guy grins, nudging her side with his elbow.

For a second, she looks happy.

And then she looks up and catches Tony watching her, and her expression is wiped clear, like an eraser over a chalk board.

"Mr. Stark, have you been listening to a word I've said?"

Tony starts a little and turns back to Fury, who's got his arms crossed over his chest and is glaring with his un-eyepatched eye.

"Sorry," Tony says casually. "Got lost in my own head for a second. You know how it is with billionaire playboy geniuses."

Fury rolls his eye and starts talking again, and Tony glances at Natasha. Her face is expressionless, but she's still leaning into the blond guy.

'Huh,' Tony thinks.

After Fury finally shuts up, Tony wanders over to Natasha and the blond guy--something Barton, Fury had said. "So, Agent Romanoff," Tony says, sticking his hands in his pockets. "This your boyfriend?"

Barton smirks.

Natasha's only response to his question is an arched eyebrow. "Agent Henrikson will take you the server room, Mr. Stark," she says, her voice bland and bored. "Have a nice day."

But as he leaves, he catches the two of them sharing a significant look. Tony smiles and files that away for future use.


End file.
